City officials have leveled the vacant, former Dixon Estate along the south side of Ladera Street on Sunset Cliffs in response to neighbor complaints of suspected drug and gang activity. Photo by Mike Ryan I The Beacon

The former Dixon Estate at Sunset Cliffs has finally been leveled. Neighbors have complained for years that the property was being used for parties by gangs and drug users.

A recent blaze in the lower “house” apparently lit a flame under the city to remove all the buildings except for some of the foundation for fear of cliff erosion.

Samuel Portillo, a resident engineer with the city and on-site manager, said crews will also be removing non-native plants like bamboo and eucalyptus trees to give police a better view of the area. Portillo said the city will be planting native plants and erect chains and warning posts to secure the area closest to the cliffs.

Sometimes referred to by locals as the “Habitat for the Homeless” or the “Abandoned Mansion,” the property was named after the Dixon family, which founded the Unfinished Furniture stores. The home was located on the south side of Ladera Street in Point Loma.